Builder Magazine: Government and Legislation

NAHB's New Chief Lobbyist Is Ready for Battle

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:52:27 EST

"I have never met a member of Congress who isn't pro housing," says Jim Tobin, whom last month the NAHB named as its new senior vice president of government affairs.

In Pursuit of the All-Cash Transaction

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:08:08 EST

I've been thinking more about my blog post from last week on the continued tightness in the mortgage markets and how those constraints have been driving a steady increase in all-cash purchases of homes since 2007. In fact, in February and March 2011, those transactions, as a percentage of all known closings, hit a six-plus year high of 43%, according to data from Hanley Wood Market Intelligence (HWMI).

The Wild, Wild World of Mortgage Financing

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:15:18 EST

Little more than a week and change remains before the loan limits on mortgages eligible to be purchased by the GSEs or insured by the FHA reset Oct. 1. Despite a clarion call from the NAHB and other industry groups like the NAR to lobby for an extension of the current higher limits, the efforts may be too little too late to avoid a reset in the immediate. In the words of one public home builder CEO during a recent earnings call, an extension is "not hopeless, but it is a long shot."

FHFA House Prices Continue Rise

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:49:17 EST

House prices as measured by the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index (HPI) rose for the third consecutive month in June, posting a gain of 0.9% over May. Prices were down 4.3% from June, 2010, however.

Fannie Mae Survey Finds Gloom Growing

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:42:58 EST

Americans grew more pessimistic over job loss, the economy and home ownership in the second quarter of 2011, according to Fannie Mae's latest quarterly National Housing Survey, released Monday. The survey of 3,002 adults found that 64% said they believed the economy is on the wrong track, a high for the survey since its inception at the beginning of last year. Pessimism grew in July, with Fannie Mae's monthly survey putting that number at 70%, with 23% saying the economy is heading in the right direction.

Pending Home Sales Rise in June

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:50:22 EST

The National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index moved up for the second consecutive month in June, rising 2.4% to a reading of 90.9 from 88.8 in May. It was up even more year-over-year, with a 19.8% gain from the 75.9 reading in June 2010, the low point immediately following expiration of the home buyer tax credit. Analysts were expecting a decline of 2%.

FHFA Home Price Index Creeps Upward

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:35:16 EST

Prices for homes sold that were financed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rose 0.4% from April to May on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's monthly House Price Index, released Thursday. The previously reported 0.8% increase reported for April, however, was revised downward to a 0.2% increase.

FHFA House Price Index Rises Unexpectedly

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:35:18 EST

Prices for homes with mortgage backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in April rose for the first time since May of last year, when the federal home-buyer tax credit was still in effect, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported Wednesday. Prices rose 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis from March to April, according to the monthly

Existing-Home Sales Drop 0.8% in April

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:11:01 EST

Sales of existing homes dipped 0.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million in April from a downwardly revised 5.09 million in March, 12.9% below April 2010, when sales were fueled by a federal home-buyer tax credit. Wall Street was expecting a rate of 5.20 million. Prices also fell.

Pending Home Sales Rise in March

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:33:54 EST

Pending home sales, reflecting signed contracts on existing homes, rose 5.1% in March, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. The NAR's Pending Home Sales Indes rose to 94.1 in March from a downwardly revised 89.5 in February, 11.4% below 106.2 in March 2010, which was boosted by anticipation of the expiration of the federal home-buyer tax credit on April 30, 2010.

Pending Home Sales Rise in California

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:46:25 EST

Another indicator of an improving housing market was released Wednesday by the California Association of Realtors, which reported its Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose 15.2% from February to 128.7 in March, down only 0.3% from the tax credit fueled market of March 2010. The state also appeared to be working slowly through its inventory of distressed properties, C.A.R. said.

Housing Starts, Permits Rise in March

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:49:38 EST

Housing starts and permits last month recovered a bit from their swoon in February but still remain well behind last year's tax-credit fueled pace, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Starts in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 549,000, well ahead of the Wall Street consensus estimates of 525,000, a gain of 7.2% from February but still 13.4% below March 2010's rate of 634,000. Single-family starts were up 7.7% to a pace of 422,000, 21.1% behind the 535,000 unit-pace of March, 2010.

KB Execs Have Little to Cheer About

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:11:15 EST

With KB Home releasing what one home building analyst deemed "shockingly disappointing" results for its fiscal 1Q2011, with losses per share more than five times Wall Street's expectations, company executives had few bright spots to talk about during the company's related earnings call Tuesday. The short list included: Traffic trends improved in March, giving hope for a better second quarter; the company was on track to have 70 new communities open by the end of next quarter, which management hoped would benefit orders and backlog later in the year; and year-over-year sales comparisons would be more favorable in the back half of the year since volume nose-dived following the expiration of the federal home buyer tax credit last April.

Pending Home Sales Up 20% in California

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:21:17 EST

The California Association of Realtors Monday reported that its Pending Home Sales Index rose 20.6% in February from January to a reading of 112.1, a scant 1.6% below the level of February, 2010, when federal and state home buyer tax credits were in effect. "The increase in pending sales is typical for this time of year, as we usually see a seasonal improvement in the spring," said Beth L. Peerce, C.A.R. President.

Survey Results: Spring Selling Season

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:05:35 EST

Big Builder Online's recent spring selling season outlook survey drew a mixed response from home builder respondents: 38.1% said they are in agreement that this year's spring selling season will be a little better than last year's, while 38.1% think it will be a little worse. Another 14.3% fear this year will be significantly worse, and the remaining 9.5% think it will be about the same.

MBA Taps Stevens as New CEO

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:27:36 EST

The Mortgage Bankers Association on Tuesday said David H. Stevens, assistant secretary for housing and commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developement, will join the group June 1 as its president and CEO. Stevens will succeed John A. Courson, who previously announced his intended departure.

Burns: New Home Sales Up from January, Down Year-Over-Year

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:10:12 EST

John Burns Real Estate Consulting, Irvine, Calif., on Tuesday reported that, based on a nationwide survey of public and private home builders, it projects net new home sales for February to rise rise 26% from January but remain 9% below February last year. The historical average rise from January to February is 12%.

NAHB's Crowe Urges Caution on Housing Policy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:59:23 EST

In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee Wednesday, David Crowe, the chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, warned senators against making changes to the current housing finance system without first devising a clear and practical alternative. He also argued for retention of housing-related tax deductions and made a plea for Congress to act to ease the shortage of money banks are making available for acquistion, construction and development (AD&C) loans.

Mortgage Applications Rise 15.5%

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:23:19 EST

Mortgage application volume increased 15.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday, noting that the prior week included the Presidents' Day holiday but was not adjusted. The MBA's Market Composite Index rose to 514.2 from the previous week, 18.8% below the comparable week in 2010, when homebuyers tax credits were in effect. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 12.5% from the prior week to its highest level so far this year.

Feature: Putting the E in Efficiency

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:32:11 EST

Some so-called “green” building practices can give builders a competitive edge on the existing-home market, but can they balance the costs with consumers' ability to pay? Big Builder does a cost versus benefit analysis.